Developing Small Group Work in Online/Blended Courses

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Considerations in Small Group Pedagogy

Group work in the online environment facilitates the building of peer networks and online community, which are noted aspects of a quality online course. In the following sections, we will discuss the benefits to using groups in online and blended courses, overcoming challenges to small group work, creating small groups, developing small group learning activities, and assessing group performance.

Why use groups in blended and online courses?
  • Aids in building learning community
  • Provides students with an opportunity to apply concepts and theories
  • Allows students to develop skills that are representative of real work life
  • Fosters active learning
Challenges to online group work
  • Social loafing
  • Transaction costs
  • Student self-management
Accountability
  • Frequent feedback
  • Individual time and effort (peer assessment)
  • Team performance – product or process (rubrics)
Issues to consider in group creation, and forming and managing groups
  • Group size by task, project completion or discussion
  • Heterogeneous groups for better group performance
  • Instructor driven for diversity of ideas
  • Team-building activities for cohesion
Types of group learning activities promoting learning and team development
  • Charter Development
  • Project Teams
  • Case Studies
  • Simulations and Role Playing
  • Audio or Video Analysis
  • Debates or Negotiations

Checklist: Developing Effective Small Group Learning Activities

Group activities should be engaging and focus on higher order learning
  1. What aspects of the content lend themselves to group activities?
  2. How can the activity utilize the many experiences of students into making a higher quality product than working individually?
  3. How can the activity allow students to work together to maximize their own and each other’s learning?
  4. How can the activity allow students to search for understanding, solutions, or meanings, or creating a product?
  5. How does the activity meet a course objective? Do your learning objectives for the course including working as a team? Working collaboratively?
  6. What are the goals of the group activity?
  7. Is the activity too challenging for an individual to complete?
Group activities should facilitate learning community
  1. How can the activity allow for group discussion and resolution (if possible)?
  2. How can the activity be structured to ensure participation by all members?
  3. How can the activity provide an opportunity for students to develop a connection with each other?
  4. How does the activity promote peer teaching/learning?
Group activities require student support in self-management
  1. What activities will you include for students to build trust and cohesion (e.g., group charter, team pictures, team blog, etc.)?
  2. What is the timetable for completion?  Have you taken into account time dependent on the medium (discussion board, synchronous meetings, etc.)?
  3. Are the tasks scaffolded into manageable chunks? Is there frequent feedback opportunities?
  4. What technologies will be used?  (Asynchronous Discussions? Drop box? Locker? Synchronous Chat? Others?)
Group activities require individual and group accountability
  1. How will accountability be built into the process?
  2. Is individual and group performance assessed (e.g., peer evaluation, group grade on product)?
  3. Is reflection built into the activity (self-assessment)?

Developing a Small Group Activity Using Backwards Design

  1. What do I want my students to be able to do (i.e., not just “know”) achieving higher order learning?
  2. What evidence or documentation do I require to demonstrate my students’ achievement of these desired results? Individually? As a group?
  3. What group learning activity will produce this evidence or documentation?
  4. What materials and resources are best suited to assist students in accomplish these goals?
    1. What communication tools with the students use?
    2. How will you facilitate interactions?
    3. How much time will they need to get to know each other, develop a charter, accomplish the tasks, etc.?
    4. Will you provide a sample product?

Sample Peer Evaluation Template

Group member being evaluated:

Your name:

Please highlight or underline your numeric choices for each of the 10 items.  Then please add some narrative regarding your evaluation at the bottom of the form.

Use the following scale for all items:

1 = poor; 2 = below average; 3 = average; 4 = above average; 5 = excellent

  1. Prepared for group quiz discussions     1  2  3  4  5
  2. Contributions were helpful, relevant, and clear     1  2  3  4  5
  3. Helped to keep discussion organized and task focused     1  2  3  4  5
  4. Helped to constructively evaluate information and ideas     1  2  3  4  5
  5. Participated adequately     1  2  3  4  5
  6. Showed respect toward others and helped maintain a positive climate     1  2  3  4  5
  7. Encouraged others to participate     1  2  3  4  5
  8. Listened to understand and follow discussion     1  2  3  4  5
  9. Demonstrated open-mindedness     1  2  3  4  5
  10. Was cooperative and constructive, didn’t dominate or withdraw     1  2  3  4  5

Total Points:

Grade you would assign this person:

Comments:

Adapted from Joosten, T. (2016, February).  Designing for engagement.

Resources

Sample Teamwork Project Rubric – PDF and Word

References (Small Group)

Barkley, E., Cross, P., & Major, C.H. (2004). Collaborative learning techniques: A handbook for college faculty. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Michaelsen, L.K., Knight, A.B., & Fink, L. D. (2004.) Team-based learning: A transformative use of small group in college teaching. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.

Palloff, R.M. & Pratt, K. (1999). Building learning communities in cyberspace. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Next: Activity: Small Group Work Planning